St. Paul daily globe., 1887-10-13
LEGISLATION.
The Knights Of Labor Take Action on
Certain Laws.
FARMERS SHOULD BE AIDED.
Strikes and Boycotts Discouraged Eni-
phatically---Oiher Matters OF In-
terest to the Order.

The report of the legislative com
mittee occupied the morning session OF
the general assembly of the Knights OF
Labor, yesterday. together with the dis
cussion which some of its suggestions
brought out. The committee reported
in favor of the Blaire educational bill.
and the report was adopted, as were the
reports favOrng an eight-hOur law ap-
plicable to mail carriers, ard the Feran
bill authorizing the settlement of lands
under the homestead law, and allowing
the settler to borrow $500 frOm the gov
ernment, secured by mortgage, the same
to be repaid in inStallments of 500.
The assembly decided the moneys
SO loaned should not command
over 8 per cent. interest,
although Delegate Farmer, of Texas,
thought the interest should not exceed
l per cent, at which rate money is
loaned to the national banks. A strong
argument for the lOaning of money by
the government in this way was pre-
Sented by Delegate Lowering, who stated
that the farms in Iowa are m0rtgaged
for $3, ,000,0 600, and the farmers find it
impossible to pay the eXOrbitant interest
eXacted.
1HG
upon that portion of the address of the
general master workman in relation to
the control of the telegraphic and tele-
phone systems by the government. The
printing of government securities in the
highest style of art was urged. and it
was recommended that all government
building contracts should con-
tain a clause providing that
wages should be paid monthly to
workmen. An amendment to the FOran
lake shipping bill to strike out the word
''fOreignerS" was defeated. The CONF
mittee asked that a committee of three
be appointed to draft labor bills in con-
fOrmity with the above resolution. The
committee suggested that the new legiS-
iative committee be governed by certain
recommendations touching the woman
and child labor laws and sanitary regu
latiOnS of the general master workman
in his late address when drafting bills.
After considerable discussion by the
assembly as to the proper policy to be
pursued the report of the committee
was adopted.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION
was largely devoted to a consideration
of boycotts and strikes.
A request that special bureau of
strikes and bOycottS should be estab-
liShed was reported by the committee
on constitution as ''ineXpedient to legis-
late" The assembly voted to sustain
the committees report, although some
earnest pleas were made for the eStab
liShment of such bureau. Several Sug-
geStiOnS were offered as to how strikes
and bOycottS should be conducted, all of
which were referred to the general eX-
ecutive board in order that the most
careful deliberatiOn should be had be-
fore action is taken i'll this connection.
A number of unfair firms in different
states were reported and also referred
1t was asked that boycott should be
placed on all scab-made cigars i'll boxes
adorned with picture of General Mas
ter Workman POwderly. 1t was stated
that this has been Systematically done
to deceive those who prefer union goods.
Great indignation was expressed, and
the whole matter was referred to the
general executive board. The commit
tee reported in favor of the Endorsement
of the general executive board in the
matter of the stock yard strikes of Chi.
go. A delegate wished to explain some
matters from the standpoint of the Oppo-.
Sltl0n, and the matter was postponed.
The committee recommended the abOli-
tlOn OF the assistance fund, as tending to
encourage strikes, and asked for the. en-;
forcement of the strictest discipline in.
all cases; referred to the committee ON
constitution.
Several delegates were excused from
further attendance.
A collar and cuff company, of Water
ford, n. Y, sent in a apetitiOn for the
patronage of the order.
A Pittsburg delegate stated that he
had been six times arrested for cOnspir-
acy for putting his head out of the win
dow after nightfall. The remarkable
statement was made that in Kentucky
men were under Indictment for simply
belonging 10 the Knights of Labor. A
knight also related an instance of the
arrest of thirty Knights of Labor for
playing Hail Columbia before coal
mine during strike.
A number of cases of heartless black
listing and malicious prosecution were
reported in the hope of securing a boy
colt. The committee. however. referred
the cases back for investigation with
the advice, ''Think before you strike.
Don't boycott except where you can't
help it,"